Atlanta police say a former member of mid-2000s rap group Crime Mob is sitting at the center of a metro-wide operation that quietly scooped up high-end electronics and tried to ship them out of the country. Investigators allege the scheme pulled in hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of laptops, tablets and other devices before officers stepped in. The musician, who performs as Cyco Black, owns a local business that police say first drew their attention last year.
How Investigators Say The Probe Unfolded
According to WSB-TV, the investigation kicked off last year at the Metro Mart after victims used tracking features to follow stolen computers and iPads straight to a business owned by Alphonce Smith, better known as Cyco Black. Investigators told the station they recovered more than $100,000 in stolen electronics and blocked the items from being shipped overseas as part of the operation. Channel 2 aired an exclusive sit-down with Atlanta Police about the seizure and the still-unfolding case.
Who Is Cyco Black?
Alphonce Smith, who records under the name Cyco Black, was a member of Crime Mob, the Atlanta crunk crew that broke out in the mid-2000s with the anthem "Knuck If You Buck," according to Wikipedia. The group's catalog and the solo projects from its members turned them into long-running fixtures in the Atlanta rap scene. In this investigation, police say it was Smith's ownership of a small business that first put him on their radar.
Bigger Pattern In The Region
Law enforcement officials say the kind of alleged fencing and overseas shipping described in this probe fits into a larger pattern playing out across the metro. A Gwinnett County Police Department press release from June 2025 detailed a separate investigation that dismantled a multi-million-dollar electronics theft ring, recovering more than 5,000 devices and seizing over $1.2 million in cash while working alongside federal agencies. That earlier case, officials said, shows how quickly stolen phones, tablets and laptops can be funneled out of the country once they leave store shelves or victims' hands.
What Investigators Say Now
As WSB-TV reports, Atlanta Police say the suspected shipments in this case were stopped and the recovered electronics have been cataloged. So far, though, officials have not publicly laid out arrests or formal charges tied to the operation. Police told Channel 2 the probe remains active, with detectives coordinating with partner agencies to trace both sellers and buyers linked to the thefts. Investigators did not offer a timetable for when criminal charges might land, according to the station.
Legal Implications
In past metro Atlanta cases where organized groups are accused of fencing and trafficking large volumes of stolen electronics, prosecutors have often reached for racketeering counts along with multiple theft-related charges, as the Gwinnett investigation illustrates. For retailers and customers caught up in these schemes, those prosecutions typically hinge on tight coordination between local police, wireless carriers and federal agencies to identify victims, track devices and, when possible, get the hardware back.
